Last week Jarrell, with the backing of the ACLU, filed a racial discrimination complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Civil Rights. He claims that while in a combat zone in Afghanistan he received threats and racial slurs from non-commissioned officers in his unit of the National Guard. He also found a noose outside of his barrack in which only he occupied.

Since 2009 Jarrell has filed complaints about the mistreatment, but no one has taken action.

Yesterday, however, Rep. Steve Pearce (Republican, N.M,) called for Cronin Byrd, the Inspector General of the National Guard Bureau in Washington, to investigate the allegations.

“I have been patiently waiting for a report from the New Mexico National Guard since these facts were communicated to me earlier this year. But no substantial response, formal or informal, has been forthcoming,” he wrote in a letter to the inspector general. “At this point I have no choice but to request that National Guard Bureau Inspector General look into the situation and report back to Congress.”

Congressman Pearce’s office tells BET.com that they have not received word that an investigation had started. They also have not received a response from the IG’s office.